


You'll Be Fine, You Big Drama Queen

by stargazerdaisy



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: CW 2020, Chenford Week 2020, Day 2, F/M, Hiking, Hurt, Kojo is very enthusiastic, Whoops! poor Tim, and Lucy has to put up with him, but not very careful, then Tim whines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:08:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25238218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stargazerdaisy/pseuds/stargazerdaisy
Summary: A gorgeous afternoon calls for a hike, just Tim, Lucy, and Kojo.  Except when Kojo gets over-excited and distracted, and trips Tim.  Tim will never win awards for being the easiest patient, but good thing Lucy knows how to handle him.
Relationships: Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 17
Kudos: 83
Collections: Chenford Week 2020





	You'll Be Fine, You Big Drama Queen

“How much longer to the waterfall?” Lucy huffed out.

“Don’t tell me you’re wimping out on me, Boot,” Tim replied, trying to disguise his own heavy breathing. 

Lucy rolled her eyes at his back. “I’m just trying to gauge if we should give Kojo a drink now or if we’re close enough that we can wait until we’re there. It’s hot and he’s panting pretty hard.”

“Mmhmm, sure,” Tim scoffed. “It’s honestly not that far. Maybe 10 minutes? Think you can last until then?”

“ _I_ am doing just fine,” she snarked. “But that should work well for Kojo too.”

The hike was no joke, but she hadn’t spent the last year running around the city of Los Angeles without building up some stamina. You’d think would give her some credit for that, but when did he ever make things easy on her? Plus, it didn’t look like he was as fresh as a daisy himself. Sure, he was setting a brisk pace, but she noticed it had slowed just a bit, compared to when they started out. Kojo was keeping up pretty well, but it was getting clear that they all were about ready for a break.

The trail opened up and Lucy could hear the rushing water just before she saw the waterfall. It was beautiful, cascading down from the cliff, spilling into the pool before continuing on down the small river. No one else was around and between the towering trees ringing the clearing and the tall cliff, it felt like they were in a hidden world. 

Kojo yelped happily and strained at the leash, trying to get to the water. Laughing, Lucy unclipped it from his collar. “Go ahead, boy,” she told him. And he was off like a shot, helping himself to a drink at the edge of the little pool. 

Lucy eased the backpack off her shoulders and set it down. It felt wonderful to stretch out her muscles without the extra weight. 

“Now we’re going to have to smell wet dog the rest of the day,” Tim chided, coming up beside her.

“Oh leave him alone,” she said. “He worked hard getting up here and he’ll be dry long before he gets back in your truck. Let him have his fun.”

He didn’t respond verbally, but the smirk he tried to smother told her that he didn’t mind much at all. Reaching into his own backpack, he passed her a bottle of Gatorade, and they settled down on a boulder to watch their dog run around. 

“You ready for your sandwich?” Lucy asked, digging into her backpack.

“I don’t know why you insisted on bringing these. Whatever happened to beef jerky and some nuts? That’s real trail food,” he grumped.

She couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud at his complaint. “Because it’s only a couple hours of hiking? And why shouldn’t we eat something substantial? Plus, I’m not going to believe your protests when you gave me very specific parameters for what you wanted on your sandwich. So here, Officer All Bark-” she handed him the paper wrapped parcel with a flourish, “-is your sandwich, exactly as requested.”

There was some low grumbling as Tim accepted the sandwich and they both settled in to eat, but Lucy only smiled to herself. It was a near perfect afternoon. The sun was high and bright, but diffused through the trees just enough that they weren’t baking. Kojo was frolicking around, chasing bugs and splashing in the water, periodically coming over to the pair for head scratches and belly rubs, before scampering off to do more of the same. They chatted lightly, here and there, but didn’t try to force conversation to fill in the quiet. Mostly, it was a chance to just breathe, to listen to the falling water and let time flow around them, without any outside demands. 

Eventually, the time came to pack up and start the trek back. Tim whistled for Kojo, who came running, while Lucy packed up their trash, making sure to leave no trace. 

“Think he’ll be just as energetic on the way back?” Lucy asked as Tim clipped the leash back on his collar. 

“Oh, he’ll make it back just fine,” Tim assured her. “Then he’ll crash and be dead to the world for a couple of hours once we get home.”

She bent down to give Kojo a final head rub and kissed him between the ears. “He and I have that in common.”

“Of course, you do,” Tim said, rolling his eyes. How he managed to get saddled with both of them was a question he was still asking himself. But anyone who saw the grin he was trying to hide, looking at those two, might question how ‘saddled’ he really felt. After all, it wasn’t like the T.O.-Rookie relationship required him to adopt the dog Lucy had gotten too soon or to go on hikes with his rookie on their day off. Heaven knows he hadn’t ever done that with another trainee. “Come on, Boot. Stop spoiling him and let’s go.”

“I’m not spoiling him,” she defended. “I’m merely giving him the love and affection that a good boy like him so richly deserves.” Nevertheless, she straightened back up and fell into step, as Tim and Kojo led the way down the trail.

Only a few yards down the trail, Kojo spotted something along the trail and took off after it. “Whoa! Hold on, boy!” Tim jumped forward, trying to keep some slack in the leash, but just as quickly as Kojo had started, he turned and darted off to the side. Before any of them realized what was happening, the dog had changed directions several times, wrapping the leash around Tim’s legs. 

“Kojo, stop!” Lucy called, too far away to do anything.

“Wait, Kojo, waaaait!” Tim yelled.

It was of no use. Tim was completely tangled in the leash and Kojo wouldn’t stop or slow down at all, constantly moving and pulling it from different angles. A second later, he crashed to the ground, face first.

“Tim!” Lucy yelped, quickly rushing over to him. It took a minute to free him from the long leash and get him into a sitting position. As she helped him roll over, she started assessing him for any injuries. “You okay?”

“Do I look okay?” he groaned. “You dog just about killed me.”

Seeing Tim on the ground, Kojo forgot whatever he’d been chasing, and immediately jumped on his owner, licking him enthusiastically all over.

“Kojo, dammit, no,” Tim said, trying to pull back. 

“Kojo, back!” Lucy got control of Kojo and tied his leash on a tree a few feet away, so she could concentrate on Tim. Poor Kojo whined, feeling very left out. Not buying it for a second, she reminded him, “You’ll be fine, you big drama queen. Now, let’s look at you, Tim.”

Honestly, he didn’t look great. His face and clothes were covered in dirt, there was blood dripping down his cheek, and his expression was extraordinarily sour. Not to mention, he was fidgeting with his right hand. 

“Anything broken?” she asked, reaching into her backpack for the bandana she never ended up using during the hike itself.

“Nothing major,” he grumbled. 

She looked down the trail to gauge how far it was back to the waterfall. “Think you can walk?” 

“Of course I can.” Of course. Nothing could stop or slow down the great Tim Bradford. 

“Okay, let’s head back to the waterfall and get you cleaned up.” She nodded to where they had just come from.

“Can’t we just go back to the truck? I’ll take care of it at home.”

“Tim, you are covered in dirt and blood is dripping off your cheek. No, we cannot just go back to the truck yet. It’s a three mile hike and we need to clean everything up first,” she said firmly.

“I’ll be fine,” he protested.

“Be that as it may, as the first responder on the scene, I have a duty to get you stabilized until better medical attention can be rendered.” He remained unimpressed with her rationale, so she put her hands on her hips and did her best approximation of his own T.O. voice. “Timothy Bradford, you are being ridiculous. You’re bleeding and that needs to be dealt with. Now, march over to that big rock, sit your ass down, and let me help you already!”

He did a double take at her scolding, but meekly followed her directions. Whether he was truly chastened or he decided to humor her, she didn’t really care, as long as he was being cooperative. It was such a Tim reaction, to prefer to hike three miles, and then a 45 minute drive back to his house before dealing with his injuries, rather than just letting her (or anyone) help him for 10 minutes. 

Satisfied he was listening to her, she secured Kojo near Tim and crossed over to the edge of the river and soaked the bandana. Slowly, gently, she wiped the blood away from the scrapes on his forehead and cheeks. Once they were visible, she could see they were only superficial. Big and incredibly tender, based on the way he kept wincing when the cold water touched them, but not dangerous at all. 

“Here, use this to put pressure against them,” she instructed, handing him the folded up piece of fabric she had rinsed out. Normally she would use sterile gauze or at least paper towels, trying to not cross contaminate anything, but out in the middle of the forest, they didn’t have very many options. 

While he held it in place, mercifully quietly, she went searching through her backpack, trying to find the first aid kit. Finally her fingers closed around it and she hauled it out to inventory the contents. It was just a small kit, as they weren’t expecting anything too intense on a hike and she didn’t want the extra weight, compared to the one she kept in her car or what they had in the shop. Luckily though, it had some alcohol wipes and large bandages. 

“Let me see?” She moved back into his space and peeled the bandana back. The bleeding had mostly stopped. The skin was still angry and red, but it was safe to put the bandage on without worrying about it soaking through. Ripping open an alcohol wipe, she warned him, “Now hold still, this might sting a little,” before dabbing it against the wound.

“Ouch! Dammit, Boot!” he hissed, grabbing her hip to push her away, but Lucy’s hands on either side of his head held him still. 

“Oh hush. It’ll go away in a second,” she soothed, softly blowing on it to take away the sting. “Better?”

Time came to a stop as her eyes connected with his. She was transfixed as they stared at each other, the intimacy of their position weighing on them. His hand remained on her hip, firm in its grasp, as hers on the side of his face relaxed into more of a caress. Audibly he gulped, trying to find his new footing in the charged setting. 

“Yeah…” he stammered breathlessly. 

For once in her life, Lucy couldn’t think of anything to say. She simply stood there, staring into Tim’s gaze, searching for something she couldn’t even name. The moment lingered longer than either of them realized, but when the tension broke, Lucy ducked her head and busied herself with smoothing the bandages into place, her cheeks suddenly warm. 

“Those will last at least until you can get home,” she assured him. “Let’s get the rest of the dirt off.” 

Quickly she dashed off to the stream again, rinsing out the bandana once more. The thought of splashing her own face with the cool water crossed her mind, but the action felt like it might give away more than she wanted. So she settled for dabbing some water across the back of her neck; it was a hot day after all. 

It wasn’t long before she’d wiped away the rest of the dirt from his face and neck. To his credit, Tim was a cooperative patient, lulled into silence by whatever had just happened between them. 

Lucy cleared her throat. “Anything else we need to check out or fix up?”

Tim shook his head, as if waking up from a daydream. “Um… I don’t think so?”

“Okay then,” she smiled, packing everything back into her bag. “Let’s take that ball of mayhem on four legs and try this again. Do you want me to take him?”

“Nah, I got it,” he said, grasping the leash once more. “Come on, Kojo. Try not to kill me this time.”

The dog wagged his tail and barked his agreement, happy to lead the way once more. But the first time he pulled on the leash, Tim cried out in pain. 

“What happened?” Lucy was on high alert, trying to determine what new injury had occurred.

“My finger,” Tim gritted out, handing her the leash. “I landed on it weird when I fell.”

“I asked you if anything was broken!” she huffed impatiently. “Show me.”

“And it _isn’t_ broken,” he maintained. “I just…kinda jammed it or something when I fell.”

Raising her eyebrow at him with a scowl, she grabbed his right hand and began probing at the injured finger, looking to see if there was any obvious fracture or if the range of motion was restricted. He winced, but didn’t make a sound at her ministrations. 

“You probably just need some ice, which we don’t have right now, but if it starts swelling, you’ll need to get it looked at,” she announced. 

“And that’s my trigger finger too!” Tim lamented.

That made Lucy laugh. “I can’t wait to see you explain to everyone that you are stuck on front desk duty because you tripped over your dog.”

“Kill me now,” he deadpanned. 

“Because of being stuck at the desk or having to explain why?” she chuckled, knowing how much he hated anything that sidelined him from patrol. Hell, he was the cop that came back to work only three weeks after being shot, his stitches barely having been removed, because he couldn’t stand being away from it.

“Both,” he said. “And I didn’t trip as much as I _was_ tripped by that demon.”

She rolled her eyes goodnaturedly. “Don’t even pretend. We all know you love that demon. Besides, he’s a good dog, he was just excited. He didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Ehhh.” He shrugged, then looked down at Kojo again. “No treats for the rest of the week. I’m serious.”

“Sure you are,” Lucy humored him. “Now, let’s go. You owe me a milkshake for having to put up with your whining.”

“I was not whining!”

Lucy snorted. “Yeah, and Kojo is starring in the next production of Swan Lake.”

“You won’t shut up until I get you that milkshake, will you?” he said with a sardonic smile, his good humor finally returning. 

“Promise me whipped cream and a cherry and I’ll consider it,” she teased back.

“Done.” Her self-satisfied smile was always worth it to him. 

Plus, she did do a pretty good job of patching him up.


End file.
